My New (Used) Cherokee Part IX

For the last two days I’ve been working on getting the tools organized. If I plan to continue improving me new (used) 2001 Jeep Cherokee, I need to have quick access to my tools. I have a set of tools that I received as Christmas present about four years ago. It’s only a 54-piece set, but has metric as well as standard tools and comes on handy when it comes to doing simple work; I carry it in my Jeep me just in case.

 

However, sometimes I need others tools, which I have, but finding the specific tool I need is not that simple. So I bought myself a seven drawer tool box, inexpensive but practical and it also has a compartment for large tools and equipment. The problem, again, is finding the right tool. If you throw the sockets in one drawer, open wrenches in another, screwdrivers in another, etc., though an improvement, in most cases it’s still difficult to find the correct tool you need. So my solution was to organize the tools into shadow boards.

 

Making shadow boards tool holders can be simple and inexpensive, or not so simple and expensive, depending how you choose to do it. There is shadow board material where by heating the tool and placing it on the material, it creates a perfect holder for the tool; however, the material is expensive. For my tools I chose a camping air mattress foam pad, though a rubber exercise matt will do as well.

 

To create the board, I simply measure the length and width of the drawer where I plan to place the tools and then measure and cut the foam to those dimensions. The next step is to place the tools on the foam and arrange them so I can get as many tools on the board as practical, leaving enough room between each tool for handling purposes. I then trace the tool onto the foam using a marker, remove the tools and cut the tool layout.      

 

One drawback of using a shadow board is that though the tools are well organized, they take a heck of a lot more room than if the tools were just placed inside the drawers. One of my options was to get a larger tool box with many more drawers, but I wasn’t about to spend my money on a toll box that will only be used occasionally. My other option was to create shadow boards, using a piece of ¼” plywood as a backing and placing them on top of another inside the equipment compartment. When working on my jeep, I can easily grab one of the shadow boards and have the tools closed by. To keep the foam from sliding off the plywood, I use a good quality double-sided tape.

 

You can take a look at some of the shadow boards I’ve completed by using this link http://felix1956.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!7F3406706715C95A!23921, then select Tools from the left pane. If the link doesn’t work, just copy it and paste it to your browser. Well, I must complete my project, so I’ll say good bye for now. Have a great day you all!  

My New (Used) Jeep Cherokee Part VIII

Today, I decided to service the cooling system. This is a task neglected by many, but one that can have an impact in prolonging engine life and/or preventing a major repair. Removing the fuel pump will have to wait as I decided that it was best to fill up the gas tank before the price of gasoline goes up due to Gustav.

After inspecting the radiator and heater hoses and clamps, I headed to the store and purchased antifreeze, a thermostat and a new radiator cap. I also purchase an antifreeze treatment, which will supposedly provide a lubricant for the water pump. By the way, this new antifreeze is supposed to last for five years or 150,000 miles.

Anyway, I got home, parked my car on the driveway, placed a container under the truck and tried to open the drain valve. I couldn’t get my fingers in far enough to turn the valve open, not even after removing the front grill, so I decided to disconnect the lower radiator hose instead. After draining the old fluid, I reconnected the hose, added the flush, filled the radiator with water and ran the engine for about 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes had passed, I turned the engine off and, carefully, disconnected the lower hose again to drain the radiator. While the system drained, I removed the thermostat housing by first disconnecting the two hoses (radiator and water heater), the temp sensor’s electrical connector and removing the two supporting bolts. I then removed the thermostat from the housing, but not before scraping the old gasket from the sealing surface; leaving the thermostat in placed prevented gasket debris from falling inside the housing. I also cleaned the cover, paying close attention to the sealing surface.

Using a water hose, I introduced water through the thermostat housing, making sure to flush the engine block well. I repeated the same process to the heater core, by injecting water through the hose that I had previously disconnected from the thermostat housing and then flushed the radiator.

Next, I installed the thermostat; making sure it was facing in the right direction. I then applied RTV to both sides of the gasket, placed it onto the cover ensuring the bolt holes holes were aligned, placed the cover over the housing and installed the two supporting bolts. After tightening the bolts, I reconnected the two hoses and the electrical connector.

I followed by reconnecting the bottom hose to the radiator, cleaning the overflow tank and adding the radiator treatment. I poured a gallon of antifreeze on a container followed by a gallon of water; 50/50 mixture. I filled the radiator with the 50/50 mixture, installed the new cap and then filled the overflow tank to the “full” mark. I started my jeep and checked for any evidence of leaks; none were detected.

After putting my tools and equipment away, I took the jeep for a ride just to make sure. So far everything looks great…there are no leaks and the truck is running great and cool. See you next time.